3 Ways to Encourage Creativity in the Workplace

Creativity in the workplace is essential in many different businesses. Not only does it allow your employees to enjoy what they are working on, but it can also bring about innovative new ideas and creations that may not have been thought of before.

Many people believe that to be creative you have to be artistic, but that’s not necessarily always the case. In fact, even the most corporate businesses can benefit from a boost of creativity in their office!

If you’re looking to boost the creativity levels of your employees, here are 3 ways in which you can encourage creative thinking (and doing!) in your workplace!

Allow Employees to be Flexible with Ideas

The worst thing you can do when trying to foster creative thinking in the workplace is to force ideas on your employees.

Not only will this make them more reluctant to put forward their own ideas, but it will also reduce the chances of them coming up with their own solutions to issues.

You want to give your employees some freedom with their ides so that they can start thinking creatively. If they are restricted to one solution, they are more likely to just accept that it’s the only way that the process or task can be done and follow what they know to be “right”.

Give them some creative freedom with their work. Who knows, they may come up with a more successful, efficient way of working!

Encourage Idea Sharing

Collaboration is key for a creative mind. Your employees may already have creative minds, but without feeling like they can share their ideas and solutions, they will most likely keep them to themselves rather than speak out about them.

Encouraging idea sharing in the workplace is a great way to coax your employees into sharing those ideas. You could even incorporate your office design into this process by dedicating an area of your office to idea sharing. Why not have whiteboard walls where employees can add their thoughts or ideas every so often? Seeing other creative ideas is a great way to gain inspiration, too!

You could also arrange an ideas meeting on a regular basis which encourages employees to put forward ideas about how the company or department could do better!

Create a Creative Support Network

Creative minds need constant feedback as to whether people think that their ideas or work is good enough. They crave constructive criticism and need some form of support when it comes to coming up with new, creative ideas.

This is why it is essential to be supporting of creativity in the workplace.  You will often be asked to give feedback, and it’s important to be critical but constructive at the same time. This will allow your team to progress positively and get a better idea of the direction they need to take their work in to keep in alignment with the business as a whole.

It’s also confidence boosting to hear what other people think of your work!

Creativity really does go hand in hand with productivity, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that all your employees will turn into artists!

As specialists in office interior design in London, we know all too well how important it is to encourage creativity, no matter what working environment you are in. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today if you’re looking to make your office a more creative friendly environment for your staff.